Throwing an Eco Friendly Party? Check Out These Ideas for Sustainable Celebrations!

Spring is in the air and the weather is finally starting to warm up a bit. With the chaos of the holidays far behind us, it is time to start thinking about entertaining again! Throwing an eco friendly party may take a bit of planning. However, focusing on a few green party ideas is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. From natural party decorations to reducing your garbage output, make sustainability a focus for your next get together! Can we say Earth Day Party? Woo-Hoo!

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Eco Friendly Party Supplies

Throwing an eco friendly party? There are loads of eco friendly party supplies available to make entertaining and cleanup easier. You can save money by using reusable products, shopping at thrift stores, or asking friends and family for second hand party supplies. In addition, asking for eco friendly gifts is also a green party idea. Of course, sometimes you just need to throw a big children’s party and don’t want them throwing around your good china. Here are some eco friendly party supplies you can buy when that happens:

Tips for Throwing an Eco Friendly Party

Whether you are inviting people over to enjoy a sporting event, throwing a baby shower or just socializing with the neighbors, you will have to do a little bit of preparation in order to throw a sustainable party. While it may be easier to feed your guests takeout pizza on disposable plates, those aren’t very eco-friendly choices. Here are a few suggestions to help you green up your next get together!

Choose a Green Party Theme:

Make your party inspired by nature or a ‘bring a recycled gift’ sort of party. Choose a green party theme to encourage friends and family to jump on the sustainability band wagon. Throw a green party and fun knowing your celebration is good for the Earth. Green themes could be anything from butterflies to the water cycle, depending on how creative you are. Check out my posts about Earth Day and sustainability for inspiration.

Use real dishes:

Disposable plates, napkins and cutlery generate a lot of trash. Choose to use real dishes or reusable containers from Ziploc® Brand instead. If you have so many guests that this is not a realistic option, choose an “eco disposable” option like forks, spoons, and knives made from a biodegradable bio-plastic.

Cook from scratch:

Ordering pizza for 20 people generates an awful lot of waste, not to mention that it isn’t a particularly healthy meal. Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated. Buy organic chicken breasts and throw them in some marinade before grilling. Serve on Kaiser rolls with fresh (preferably organic) lettuce, tomatoes and onions. Make homemade pizzas for the kids. When shopping, choose organic, local or in season foods whenever possible. Find dishes that you can cook ahead of time so you don’t spend the whole party in the kitchen.

Go paperless:

Instead of traditional paper invitations choose to use an online e-vite instead. For a more personal touch, create your personal invitation on paper and scan it into your computer. Then, e-mail it to your friends with a personal message to each one. Another option when throwing an eco friendly party would be to buy invitations made from recycled paper.

Choose party favors wisely:

Depending on the type of party you are throwing, you may choose to send your guests home with a small token of appreciation. Eco-friendly party favor ideas include things like packets of seeds, a small seedling, organic chocolates or bookmarks embedded with seeds. Look online for more options. You can even try an eco friendly craft or a ‘bring your own cuttings’ sort of party favor!

Go with green decor options:

For a special occasion, you may want to spruce up the house and yard with a few decorations. Use potted plants or sustainably grown flowers from a local florist or farmer’s market. Pick up an assortment of glass vases from a secondhand store and fill with stones or fruit. The idea is to choose items that can be reused, recycled, or composted so they don’t end up in the trash.

Throwing an eco friendly party can be quite a bit of work. By making a few simple changes you will drastically reduce the amount of trash your guests create and your party’s overall impact on the environment. Which of the above ideas will you use at your next sustainable party?

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Diane has a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology with a Minor in Health Management and Policy. She spent many years working in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging as a way to share this knowledge with others. While passionate about health and the environment she can’t quite give up her favorite Cheetos and Diet Coke!

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Hello! I'm Diane. I'm a busy mom of hormonal teens who is trying to go green, get healthy and simplify life one baby step at a time. Click the photo to learn more about me or email me at [email protected]